100X Returns System: I Dominate the Age of Gods

Chapter 363. A Warning - 3

Meanwhile, Alfred, or rather, Kang, quietly concluded his own. Earlier, he had believed that he successfully avoided William’s attention.

That confidence disappeared the instant he sensed William’s gaze settle upon him.

There was something deeply unsettling about the way the young man looked at him. It was not ordinary curiosity, nor the cautious observation one would expect from someone evaluating another person’s strength.

William’s eyes carried a strange sense of scrutiny, as if they could peel away every layer of deception and look directly at the core truth of a person..

First time since awakening inside Alfred’s body, Kang experienced the faint doubt that his secret might have been exposed.

Still, he did not panic.

Fear without the power to act upon it was meaningless.

Even if William truly discovered the truth, Kang knew he could not confront him in his current condition. The display from earlier had already made that painfully obvious. William had somehow absorbed the cultivation of the female vampire and ascended directly into the so-called Godhood Stage within moments.

Even Kang, who possessed memories from an ancient era, found the situation absurd.

A sixteen-year-old reaching Godhood should not have been possible.

The current era was vastly inferior to the ancient world Kand had lived in in his previous life.

The genomes of nearly every race had deteriorated over tens of thousands of years due to prolonged exposure to the aura leaking from abyssal nodes. Cultivation itself had become slower and increasingly limited compared to the ancient ages.

Even fifty thousand years ago, only the greatest prodigies among each race could cultivate at such a terrifying speed.

And yet William had done it in this fallen era.

Kang silently reasoned that the rapid advancement was likely connected to the unusual ability William had used to absorb cultivation directly from others, rather than relying solely on talent.

That explanation comforted him slightly.

Abilities capable of violating natural laws always came with hidden costs. Kang had seen countless forbidden arts during his lifetime, and none of them were truly without consequence. Whether the drawback affected the body, soul, lifespan, or sanity, there was always a price hidden somewhere.

The fact that he did not know William’s price yet did not mean it did not exist. That thought helped settle his nerves.

For now, William had not exposed him publicly or questioned him directly, so Kang naturally had no intention of drawing attention to himself either. Remaining silent was the safest option.

A few moments later, William shifted his attention toward Ethan.

"How did you find that place?" he asked calmly.

Ethan quickly explained how he had stumbled upon the map inside a black-market auction by pure chance. While speaking, he carefully took out the old parchment and handed it over for William to inspect.

William accepted it and glanced over the map briefly.

At first sight, it appeared entirely ordinary.

There was nothing particularly special about the parchment itself, nor any signs hinting at extraordinary origins. Ethan mentioned that several appraisers had estimated the parchment to be around twenty thousand years old.

If that estimate was accurate, then someone from that era might have discovered the hidden entrance leading toward the outer world.

William silently considered the implication.

Unfortunately, he lacked enough historical information to form any real conclusion. He still had no idea how long the continent had remained isolated from the outside realms. Whether the separation occurred twenty thousand years ago or far earlier than that remained unknown.

In the end, he merely noted the information mentally before handing the map back without hesitation.

Originally, he had intended to make the group swear an oath under the heavens to remain silent regarding the ruins and their location. However, after talking to Ethan, he realized that these guys were not as independent as he was.

Each of them belonged to powerful families or organizations. Each one of them must have told the truth about where they were going already before even starting the journey.

Their parents and guardians must be entirely aware of that.

It was obvious now that the news about the ruin would reach every major faction on the continent, and all of them would attempt to investigate the ruins.

William was completely certain of that. That meant that making these guys swear an oath was useless; Will had to do something different to safeguard the place from others.

He was sure that once the demonic cults realized, they would start trying to enter too. The ruins had to be somehow officially sealed before powerful experts began arriving one after another.

Unfortunately, he could not use the authority of his newly established empire to justify such an action. Doing so would only create unnecessary suspicion and political complications.

Only one organization possessed both neutrality and enough authority to interfere openly without causing widespread backlash.

The Celestial Army, if he could make them declare that the ruins carried demonic influence, then it would be a smooth ride; at least the empire and anti-demonic faction would start avoiding the place.

William silently decided that he would visit Andrea soon.

Meanwhile, Ethan noticed William’s complete lack of interest in the map, and some of the tension in his mind finally eased. If William truly desired the ruins solely for treasure, he would never have returned such an ancient item so casually.

William slowly stood from his seat and stretched lightly.

"Well, I have somewhere else to be, so I’ll be taking my leave now," he said with a relaxed smile.

He glanced toward the group again.

"Maris will help all of you return safely, so there’s no need to worry. Of course, if any of you wish to stay here longer, you’re welcome to do so."

Then his tone shifted ever so slightly.

"But don’t try to return to those ruins. You should consider them beyond your reach now."

It was a silent warning that William gave them for the last time in this conversation.

"I don’t care..."

A rough voice suddenly interrupted from one side of the table. Everyone turned toward the source.

The massive figure of Galeion, who had been unconscious until now, slowly sat upright in the chair where he had been resting. The Titan prince rubbed his forehead briefly before rising to his feet.

A grin spread across his face the moment his eyes landed on William.

Without hesitation, the towering young man strode forward until he stood directly before him. The difference in size between them was enormous, yet William remained entirely unfazed.

Galeion rested a heavy fist against William’s shoulder and smirked.

"Let’s spar."

William looked up at the giant figure before smiling back in amusement. Instead of agreeing immediately, he shook his head and reached into his inventory storage.

A moment later, he pulled out a small rectangular object roughly the size of Galeion’s palm. It was wrapped in red-and-white packaging with a simple infinity-shaped symbol printed across the front.

A chocolate bar.

"Not before you try my new dessert," William said casually.

Galeion stared at the strange item with visible curiosity. Then, without hesitation, he tore open the wrapper and tossed the entire chocolate bar into his mouth in a single bite.

William blinked in surprise.

’Dude... what if that was poisoned?’ he thought internally.

The sheer blind trust Galeion displayed was honestly absurd.

Meanwhile, the Titan prince chewed once before suddenly freezing in place. The chocolate melted across his tongue, and his eyes widened from the creamy flavor of the chocolate.

An overwhelming flood of sweetness and flavor exploded through his senses, sending a storm of pleasure-inducing chemicals through his brain. His expression stiffened as though his entire understanding of food had just been rewritten in a single moment.

One of his hands slowly covered his mouth. The others stared at William in confusion. At the same time, several translucent notifications appeared before William’s eyes.

[Ding!! Individual Galeion has consumed the host’s blood.

[Would you like to place a binder on him?]

[y/n]

William did not even need to think about it. That had been his intention from the beginning.

[Ding!! A binder has been placed on individual Galeion.

[Binders left: 999]